Despite the OKC Thunder only having a handful of players deemed as building blocks for the future, Bleacher Report believes Isaiah Roby should be added to the list.
Off to a 1-3 start to the season, the OKC Thunder are seemingly in great shape when considering the fact that 2020-21 is all about player development and rebuilding for the future.
Guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Darius Bazley, and Luguentz Dort are all getting ample time on the court to start this year, which is seemingly doing wonders for their individual progressions.
Despite their lackluster record, the Thunder have actually been quite competitive in virtually all of their outings thus far. Of course, this could be attributed to the aforementioned core players listed above, but there have been some examples of surprise outings from somewhat unknown commodities.
One example of such a showing came during OKC’s December 29th bout against the Orlando Magic, where second-year big-man (first year in Oklahoma City) Isaiah Roby had himself a field day.
Going up against the likes of All-Star Nikola Vucevic and talented forward/ potential OKC Thunder trade target Aaron Gordon, the 22-year-old put up 19 points, seven rebounds, two blocks, and a steal on 75 percent shooting from the floor and 50 percent shooting from deep.
With this performance, Bleacher Report came out with a self-proclaimed “hot take”, stating that Roby belongs in OKC’s “circle of trust” moving forward.
Writer Dan Favale went on to cite his post-draft analysis and wing-span as reasons to believe Roby could wind up being yet another surprise come up story for this franchise:
"Isaiah Roby, the 45th pick in 2019, received a spot start in place of Al Horford on Tuesday and immediately came, saw and conquered with 19 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and a steal. He also obliterated Nikola Vucevic’s ankles and then drove from the top of the key to thunder down a dunk, which feels kind of noteworthy for a 6’8″ center with a 7’3″ wingspan.B/R’s Jonathan Wasserman once described Roby as a “skilled big who can make threes and put the ball down to attack closeouts” while also praising his “bounce around the rim,” lateral quickness and shot-blocking. That sounds an awful lot like an intriguing modern big man, no?Roby could be on the Luguentz Dort path, going from roster afterthought to no-brainer keeper."
While it is perceived that only a handful of players currently on the roster should be viewed as “long-term” assets, perhaps sophomore big Isaiah Roby is on his way to being labeled in such a category.